The Truth About Cats and Dogs
by Rickmanlover24601
Summary: Something isn't quite right with Hermione after she returns from a holiday with her parents. Severus is determined to get to the bottom of his suspicions over the Christmas holidays. SSHG.


Hermione had seemed flustered all afternoon. Severus had been too busy with a Double Potions class with Ravenclaws and Slytherins, the final touches on his research grant request, and a useless staff meeting to ask her how her visit home had been. Hermione had been gone all weekend and he had missed her more than he expected. She had become a permanent fixture in his life and he liked it that way.

That evening, he waylaid her after dinner and kissed her hurriedly in an empty classroom. She giggled, sounding like the school girl she no longer was. Severus smirked. It may have been a cliché but she made him feel younger and more alive. Or perhaps the best way to describe it was that she made him feel less weary… He was no longer tired of life, his role in it, or himself.

They hurriedly made their way down the hallway towards Severus' quarters. Hermione always liked to brush her teeth first, but Severus didn't let her. Before his bedroom door was closed, keeping the orange fur ball away from the proceedings, her top was already on the floor and Severus was making a good attempt on the zipper at the back of her skirt from his position at her front.

When Hermione was on the bed, dressed only in her blue underwear, Severus began to take off his own clothes, while his eyes roamed her body. His hands stilled against the last shirt button, and Hermione moaned up at him.

"Don't stop," she whispered.

Severus frowned, looking at some angry red marks along her arms, and some bruises on her legs. He came over to the bed slowly.

Hermione reached her arms up to him. "What's wrong?"

Severus lifted her arm and looked at the scratches there. "Hermione? How did you get these?"

Hermione snatched her arm away, suddenly looking nervous. "It's nothing. I tripped down the stairs at Mum and Dad's." She snapped her smile back in place. "Now, where were we?"

"You're never clumsy, Hermione. Are you sure you fell down the stairs?"

She nodded. "Mum's got this ridiculous rug on the stairs, gets me every time." Then she reached up and planted soft kisses down Severus neck, helping him with that last pesky shirt button.

Severus still felt uneasy but wasn't about to press the issue, not when something more pressing and pleasing was starting to fog his thoughts and stir his… well.

/

Severus watched as Hermione drew lazy circles on his bare chest. He couldn't fight the feeling that something was very wrong indeed. The scratches on her arm glared at him, as if it was his fault Hermione had been hurt. What was she keeping from him?

Hermione turned her head and lifted a hand, gently smoothing her finger over the crease between his eyes. "What's wrong Severus?"

He tried to shake off his uneasiness. Truth be told, he wanted to go straight to her parents' house and hex them back into the 16th century.

Severus smiled. "Nothing that matters."

Hermione leaned up and kissed his brow. "I missed you." She whispered. Severus held her tighter.

/

"I was thinking…"

"Oh dear, don't do that, Severus. You'll wear yourself out." Hermione smirked as she placed a book back on the shelf. She packed up her lesson plans for the week, glad that the holidays were nearing.

"Perhaps we should visit your parents for Christmas." Severus wanted to get to the bottom of Hermione's bruises and if she wasn't going to tell him what was going on then he would have to go straight to the source.

Hermione's hands paused for a moment. She bowed her head and reshuffled her papers. "Oh?"

"You met my mother last year. It only seems right."

"But they're boring dentists, Severus. Surely you'd rather spend Christmas somewhere else? We could have a holiday away somewhere nice."

Severus came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. "You have told them about me, haven't you?"

Hermione gave a small laugh. "Of course, I have. It's just…"

"Mmm?" Severus nuzzled her neck.

She sighed, accepting the inevitable. "No, you're right. You should meet them. I'll write a letter tonight."

/

Hermione was jumpy and nervous all morning as they packed their bags for the four days they would be staying with Jane and Andrew Granger. She kept biting her lip and stealing glances at Severus when he wasn't looking.

It had been two weeks since his suggestion to stay with her parents and she had yet to find a good moment to tell him. For someone who had battled Death Eaters, stared down Voldemort, and took on Severus Snape, Hogwarts' resident snarky git, as her friend and bed-fellow, she was being a dreadful coward in this situation.

She jumped when Severus stood in front of her, holding out her toothbrush. "Don't forget this."

"Right. Yes. Thank you."

Oh dear….

/

"Now remember, no magic. My parents don't like it… it makes them nervous and they'll just go on about how I should never have gone to Hogwarts and put myself in danger and-"

Severus squeezed her hand. "I know. I'll behave."

She nodded.

They continued walking from their Apparition point down the lane towards the brick house Hermione had called home before Hogwarts.

Hermione stopped again. "And, um, be nice… And…."

Severus turned to face her. "Hermione, it will be fine. I'll be my normal charming self."

She gritted her teeth and walked on before stopping again not far from the house. "Look Severus… there's something else. Something I haven't told y-"

Suddenly, there was a cacophony of noise. Loud, excited barking came rushing towards them followed closely by six large German Shepherds who wasted no time in jumping all over the newly arrived couple.

Hermione groaned. Severus tried to push the offending animals off his neatly tailored clothes, wishing he could fish for his wand.

"Oh, there you are, Hermione. I see you've met the children…" Jane Granger smiled at Severus, her voice raised over the noise and boisterous activity which, despite Severus' best efforts, showed no sign of calming.

"That's Max, Cindy, Rex, Dotty, Lulu, and Jeff." She walked up to them, and petted the closest dog, as they raced and jumped around the small group of humans.

"Come on in, you must be hungry after your journey." She turned back to the house, the dogs streaking ahead of her back into the house.

Hermione walked in slowly, not daring to look at Severus, her teeth gritted and her shoulders tense.

Severus attempted to brush dog hairs off his shirt as he followed Hermione inside.

There was a huge spread on the table. Hermione was unsuccessfully trying to explain to her mother that their journey consisted of all of five minutes but she waved her hand and put the last of the dishes on the table. "Andrew! Lunch!" She bellowed.

The dogs were scrambling onto the dining room chairs. Severus watched in disbelief as his eyes relayed to his brain that the table was set for ten.

What had he got himself into? Four days in this mad house? No wonder Hermione hadn't wanted to come.

He noticed Hermione refused to meet his eye for the duration of the farce that was lunch. The 'children' ate off fine china and only a few words were addressed to himself or Hermione; the majority of her parents' attention were taken up by talking to the dogs and making sure they had enough to eat and that the meat was cut up small enough for Dotty…who had a few issues, which Andrew told Severus all about after lunch.

/

Severus's scowl became more pronounced the longer the day went on. The dogs were clearly Merlin's gift to the Grangers. They had full run of the house, jumped up onto whatever and whomever they wanted to, and were the pride and joy of their parents. If he had been a mere passerby, Severus would have assumed Hermione was a neighbor or a distant relative that the Grangers barely even knew. He gritted his teeth and tried his best not to make a scene.

As they got ready for bed, Severus couldn't hold it in any longer. "Hermione, what the fuck was all that?"

Hermione's eyes were wide. "I'm sorry, Severus. I was going to tell you…" She was momentarily worried that he would insist they pack up and go home, where he would give her a stern talking to about keeping him in the dark about the other inhabitants of the Granger household.

"How can you put up with that?" Severus paced the small attic room. "The way they treat you… it's disgraceful! It's as if you're not even their daughter… All they care about is their precious _children._ Let me use magic on them, Hermione, and they'll never treat you like that again. I'll hex them into-"

Hermione placed a hand on Severus' arm. "Severus… I'm touched you care…but they've always been like that. It doesn't matter… I don't come home often."

Severus looked down into her honey-brown eyes. "No Hermione. It's not right. You should be the one they care about, not their bloody dogs."

Hermione shrugged. "You get used to it."

"No, Hermione." Severus fixed her with an intense stare. "Have they always treated you like this?"

Hermione slowly nodded. "Before the German Shepherds, it was 7 Corgis, and I think before that it was 5 Beagles… Honestly, it's okay, Severus. I've never belonged here, but I belong at Hogwarts. We don't have to come back for a long time. We just have to get through Christmas."

"And I suppose they all get presents under the tree," he growled.

Hermione nodded.

Severus sighed. "I assume the dogs are the reason for your scratches?"

"I was too embarrassed to tell you."

"Why don't you repel them?"

"Mum doesn't like me using magic…"

"They wouldn't know… not with wandless magic."

Hermione just shrugged and climbed into bed. "Let's just get through the next few days. And please don't hex anyone…or any of the dogs."

Severus climbed in next to her and pulled her into his arms. "I'm so sorry, Hermione." He kissed the top of her hair. "You deserve better."

Hermione smiled against his neck. "I have you, Severus. It's all I need."

Severus sighed. "Now I understand you…"

"Hmm?"

"Why you had to be the best at everything at school…why you always needed recognition. It all makes sense now."

Hermione closed her eyes. "I suppose so." She opened her eyes again when a deep chuckle met her ears. "What's so funny?"

"Crookshanks. Not a dog person, Hermione?"

Hermione laughed. "Not a chance, Severus. Not a chance."


End file.
